Isabel Healthcare Blog

At Isabel we are always pushing for more research and independent studies into symptom checkers and their use. Isabel has been around since 2000, but in the last few years the words symptom checker have become more and more commonplace, as the internet has been integrated into modern life. In our most recent white paper "Enabling Patient Engagement with a Symptom Checker" we discussed how many people now research their symptoms or diagnoses, and the responsibility we have to ensure they have the tools they need to do this with accuracy and efficiency, rather than researching with unvalidated resources.

November has been Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month (PCAM), where people all over the world raise awareness and promote research into this devastating disease with a current survival rate of only 5%. We’ve blogged about pancreatic cancer awareness before, back in 2016, talking about its characteristics, symptoms to look out for, and also the founder of the charity Pancreatic Cancer Action (PCA), Ali Stunt. One of the main focuses of PCA is promoting research into early diagnosis, as this is the best way to improve survival rates. Ali Stunt herself survived cancer because of an early diagnosis, and this is the key to getting the right treatment fast and beating pancreatic cancer. There are a few different types of pancreatic cancer, and some of these have slightly different presentations, and all of which share symptoms with more common, less threatening conditions. It is for this reason that pancreatic cancer is often misdiagnosed. PCA believe that education, particularly in the medical community, is a big factor in improving diagnosis and survival rates, so this year for PCAM, we’re talking about the different types of pancreatic cancer.

Appendicitis is an acute medical condition where the appendix becomes inflamed and can eventually burst. It requires urgent medical attention, and usually surgery to remove the appendix.

In a recent blog we covered psychiatric disorders which can occur during pregnancy, but there are also some psychiatric disorders which can occur after the woman has given birth. The postpartum period is up to a year after giving birth,  If a woman has experienced mental ill health in the past, then she is more likely to become mentally unwell during pregnancy or in this postpartum period than at other times in her life.

A story currently doing the rounds on the web reports how Mark Givens, recently diagnosed with a brain tumor, lost his driving license due to dangerous driving. This was caused by the mental trauma he was experiencing as a result of his diagnosis. The story is all the more significant because it turns out Mr Givens, from Northern Ireland, could have been spared the trauma as he had in fact been misdiagnosed and was instead suffering from a cyst on the brain. This story illustrates two points. Firstly, the mental trauma caused to patients suffering from a brain tumor and secondly, the fact that this often fatal condition can be misdiagnosed as something relatively minor, albeit a condition that can cause identical symptoms to a brain tumor.

Yesterday saw 31st October, a day when many choose to celebrate Halloween, dressing up in scary (and some not so scary) costumes and to do a round of trick or treat. Isabel started out as a tool for pediatrics following the misdiagnosis of a 3-year-old girl, before extending into all ages and regions. For that reason, children’s medicine and hospitals will always be close to our hearts and we wanted to highlight the great work they do. The world of costumes, entertainment and imagination is never too far away from a children’s ward, so Halloween is an opportunity to truly get into the spirit - after all, the holidays are only around the corner! We’ve taken our favourite tweets and pictures of the incredible pediatric staff in US and UK hospitals, sported a costume or two this Halloween.

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a worldwide campaign helping to spread awareness, education and promote further research into the most common form of cancer in both the UK and US. In these two countries combined, there are over 300,000 diagnoses every single year, so chances are you've been affected by breast cancer at some point, either directly or through someone you know. We’ve written about the signs, symptoms and cause of breast cancer before, so today we’re giving you some stats and facts surrounding breast cancer, to help spread awareness of just how far we've come, and how far we have to go.

In a post from 2015, we reported how important the Internet had become, over the previous decade, in enabling health information to be available to all patients. We also suggested that health technology including symptom checkers are becoming tools used in everyday life. A survey published this week by the University of Phoenix supports this and conveys that patients are utilizing healthcare technology to take control of their health.  The September survey involved 2,006 US adults of whom 1,215 had been a patient within the previous three months and some of the findings were:

20 October is World Osteoporosis Day, calling for global action to help improve bone health and prevent fractures caused by this condition that, much too often, is diagnosed too late to make a difference. Osteoporosis is a growing problem around the world affecting one in three women and one in five men over the age of 50. Fractures caused by osteoporosis can have a devastating impact, not only on the sufferer but on costs to society and healthcare systems. And yet despite effective medical advances, only 10% of women with fractures will receive osteoporosis therapy. In 2010 in Europe alone it was estimated that 12.3 million high-risk patients were left untreated. Increased awareness is undoubtedly the key, both among the medical profession and among patients who should look out for the early warning signs and make lifestyle choices to help prevent osteoporosis from defining their old age.

Meningitis is a disease that can affect anyone, although it is most common in babies, children and young adults. The condition can be bacterial, viral or fungal, and the severity and treatments depend on the type contracted. As the most common condition to affect children, spreading awareness and encouraging research in the field is important to Isabel, as we started out as a pediatric tool following the misdiagnosis of 3 year old Isabel Maude, only later expanding to include all ages in the Isabel DDx Generator. In this blogpost we go over the basics of meningitis, the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of this sometimes acute and potentially fatal disease.